Home For Christmas
by Emri
Summary: When the snow hits, Quinn Fabray is trapped in California away from her family but she is not one to give up. When she meets Santana at the airport will they be able to work together to get home in time for Christmas?
1. Chapter 1

The snow hit the western seaboard in an abundance that had never been seen by Quinn Fabray in the 28 years of her existence. Not that she had spent her whole life living in California where she was currently residing, she had actually been born and spent the first 18 years of her life in Lima, Ohio. When she had turned 18 she had moved to New York to study at NYU and considered her house in the big apple to be her real home. That fact was in no small part attributed to her wife Rachel Fabray who lived there with their two children, Ali and Daniel and that was where her heart was.

Despite the fact that her job as a travel writer meant that she often had to be away from her family, Rachel made sure that she never regretted her decision by saying that she wanted Quinn to follow her dreams. Quinn would never have agreed if it wasn't for the fact that Rachel's dads had moved to New York to support there daughter and look after there Grand-kids while Rachel pursued a Broadway career.

Quinn really did love her job because it meant that she could do what she loved, write, for a living but she loved it more when she got to come home.

It was the 20th December and Quinn woke up in her Hotel room and bounded out of her bed with an excited smile on her face and hurriedly got ready for work. Today was the day that she got to go home for Christmas. She practically ran to her rental car and pulled onto the free way to get to the building for the Newspaper she was currently working for. It was one of the benefits of being a freelancer that she was able to work only when she wanted to and she was able to take off nearly two weeks to spend with her family. It had been over a month since she had last seen them and she was really missing her beautiful wife and adorable children. Ali was now 6 years old and Danny was 4 but she had never once missed a Christmas despite having a very hectic work schedule.

She pulled into the parking lot and rushed into the building waving at a few people as they also rushed in and out of the building. Quinn made her way up to her floor and proceeded to walk straight into her Boss' office. All she had to do was drop off her article and she could leave but things always tended to go against Quinn Fabray.

"Here we go Boss, its finished and so am I." Quinn said dropping the pages onto the man's already cluttered desk.

He didn't bother to look up from the computer screen as he replied, "Hold your horses Fabray. Our Environmental columnist called in sick this morning and she hasn't finished her article. I need you to make changes for her so you are staying here if you want to keep your job."

She really wanted to punch the man in the face but she really did need the job so she found herself agreeing and taking a memory stick from the man.

Deciding that she would be able to get the job done quicker, Quinn chose to work in the other writers office and closed the door so that she could fully concentrate.

It was about five hours later when Quinn finally stepped out of the office having only realising when opening the computer file that she was in fact editing the woman's column up to the Christmas Eve addition. It had been hard work but she felt a sense of accomplishment as she strode through the strangely vacant office.

As had become a tradition between her and her boss, Quinn walked into his office without knocking and for the first time he looked surprised.

"Its finished all four columns and now boss I think I have earned the right to leave."

Her Boss took the memory stick and he kept eye contact with Quinn for the first time in a conversation as he said, "Good job Fabray but you really should have gone home when the others did."

"Why did everyone go home?" Quinn asked now realising that the office shouldn't have been empty in the middle of the day.

"The snow came in and so I told everyone to go home in case they got trapped in this old place." The middle aged man replied. Quinn felt her heart stop for a second before she tore across the room and snatched away the blinds to look outside. A low, sad groan came out of her mouth as she took in the foot of snow already on the ground and the white stuff still heavily falling from the sky.

"I'd go home before you don't have the option any more." Her boss said with his attention once again glued to his computer screen. She nodded more to herself than to him and left the room without another word.

When she made it to the ground floor she wondered how this snow would effect the planes but refused to contemplate not being home in time for Christmas. Trudging through the snow she was able to make it to her car but it took her double the time it should have and when she did sink into the drivers seat, she was already soaked through and freezing. She turned on the engine and got the heat pumping through the vents before she slowly moved her car out of the parking lot. Seeing massive amounts of snow on the quiet free way, Quinn started to worry about how bad it was and so turned on the radio.

_The massive and unpredicted snowfall has brought California and the majority of the Western seaboard to a standstill and there is a warning out to people in affected areas that this will get worse. Now on to the sports... _

Quinn stopped listening after that and made her way to the airport. She had put her bags in her car before she left for work this morning which she was incredibly grateful for because she didn't want to stop.

Once again she found it took her double the time to get to the airport despite the fact that the roads were almost empty. When she found a space in the parking lot she realised that it was unnecessary to take her bags with her because it was unlikely she would be going anywhere tonight. She trudged through the ever deepening snow and was shivering as she walked into the anarchy of the check in area. She joined the queue at her check in station and surveyed the large board positioned high above the ground. The same red nine lettered word tortured her from the screen. Cancelled.

By the time she got to the front of the queue those nine letters were imprinted into her mind as she gave a weak smile to the harassed looking woman behind the counter.

"Any chance of a flight?" Quinn asked giving her charming smile which usually made a girl melt despite their orientation. The smile did not disappoint and the woman gave a small, tired smile in return but still had to deliver the painful news.

"I'm sorry but all the flights have been cancelled. We will try to get you out on the next flight but if this weather continues then that won't be until after Christmas."

It was not this woman's fault and Quinn knew that so she gave a quick half smile and began to turn away when she heard a loud angry voice that she had heard many times before.

"I don't care that the flights are cancelled, I am saying that you need to find me somewhere to stay while I am stuck here."

She turned around to see an angry Latina woman shouting at a small man behind the desk who looked particularly afraid as he mumbled back something unintelligible.

"Speak up." The woman growled and with a little whimper the man repeated a little louder,

"I'm sorry but I can't, airline policy dictates..." He stopped talking when the woman turned away from him and started to walk in Quinn's direction. She stopped and looked at Quinn with a smile starting to form on her face.

"Well if it isn't Quinn Fabray trapped in hell with me."

"We would both be lying if we said we both didn't belong in hell Santana Lopez." Quinn replied with a smile growing on her own face at the sight of her old friend. She hadn't seen her since their graduation from McKinley High School. They had been the best of friends and still occasionally kept in touch but if Quinn was honest she really missed her old friend.

"I don't know Fabray I have been told multiple times that I am in fact an angel."

"Things Brittany told you when she was drunk doesn't count Lopez."

The two women stared at each other a while longer then pulled each other into a brief but tight hug then walked out of the check in area together. They stopped at the doors looking out at the snow and Santana asked, "So where are you heading and to who Q?"

"I am heading to New York, to my wife and two kids." Quinn said with a wistful look on her face.

"I'm going to the same place as you to Britt and my son. I can't believe you have a wife Q, you were straighter than a ruler in High School."

"Yeah well then you will be really shocked who I married." Quinn answered and Santana raised her eyebrows to show she didn't want to guess.

"Rachel Berry." Quinn answered and if it were possible Santana's eyebrows reached even further up her face.

"You nailed Berry." Santana spluttered out in pure shock and Quinn just nodded her head in response.

"Damn we need to get home for the Holidays just to see you and Berry acting like a couple."

"It won't be easy." Quinn responded watching the falling snow and ignoring the last part of Santana's comment.

"Well, I don't know about you Q but I am not letting anything get in the way of me being with my family for the holidays so we need another solution." Santana had a look on her face that told Quinn she was leading up to something big so she waited for the big reveal.

"Why don't we drive?"

Quinn's automatic response was to scoff and dismiss the idea completely but she knew that Santana was smart and wanted to hear more of her plan before she criticised it.

"The snow is too thick and we would never make it home in time."

"I have an SUV and all we need to do is make it to an airport that isn't snowed in and we can fly most of the way home. If we keep our tickets, they will be transferable at whatever airport we find. Come on aren't you anxious for some hobbit lovin'?" Santana asked in what was clearly supposed to be a persuasive manner but just made Quinn laugh.

"Well how can I say no to a plan like that?"

"You would have to be an idiot to deny that I am a genius and have brilliant ideas." Santana answered and smirked smugly. "So why don't we load our asses into my SUV and we get this road trip on the road?"

A road trip with Santana driving would have meant an early death had she agreed to it in High School but Quinn just thought about Rachel and the kids and soon found herself settling into Santana's large black SUV with her bags loaded into the back.

"This is really nice Lopez, where'd you steal it from?" Quinn asked and then quickly moved to avoid the flailing limb that was attempting to punch her.

"Your real funny Fabray or should I say Berry-Fabray?"

"No its Fabray, Rachel took my name."

"Bet that included a long and detailed Rachel Berry rant on the merits of each last name." Santana laughed as she started to pull out of the parking lot. Quinn remembered the moment perfectly and knew that Santana was dead right but she wasn't about to let her know that so she asked the one thing she knew would distract Santana.

"So how is Britt?" At that she saw the Latina's face light up in the way that it did for Brittany alone.

"My wife is amazing as always, she's a professional dancer now though we all knew she would make it so its not a surprise." She sounded like she would never get tired of calling Brittany her wife and Quinn felt herself smiling tiredly.

They spent the next six hours they spent in the car talking about their families and their jobs and any little thing that they could think of. It was weird to both of the women in the car as they were both quite short tempered and they were surprised they hadn't gotten on each others nerves yet. Quinn attributed it to the fact that they had missed each other whereas Santana had just scoffed and muttered something about the magic of the festive season in a sarcastic tone.

It seemed like they were making good progress as they noticed as they drove that the level of snow was staying consistent and there was very little fresh snow falling. They passed a sign which read that there was two miles to a turn off to Wickenburg, Arizona which seemed like a quiet little city and Santana muffled a yawn into her hand.

"Either you need to start driving Fabray or we need to find a place to get some sleep."

Quinn tried to muffle a yawn but was unsuccessful as she replied, "I think we better pull over. We have no chance of getting home in time if we are in the hospital."

Santana nodded in agreement and flashed her indicators despite the empty road for the turn off into Wickenburg. Just as the front wheels of the car hit the off ramp however the back wheels skidded on a patch of ice and Santana violently tugged at the steering wheel but couldn't gain control. Both women screamed as the car continued to slid along the icy road and as a last resort, Santana yanked at the parking break in an attempt to slow the car but that just meant that she lost control of the steering wheel. They watched in petrified silence as they moved almost in slow motion towards a tree at the side of the road and at the speed they were going it would be likely to total the car.

If Quinn still believed in God she would have said that it was His intervention or maybe she might have attributed it to fate but as the car slid it hit another patch of ice. This patch caused the wheels to spin ninety degrees and to slow there movements in the direction of the tree.

They still hit the tree hard but both women were unscathed though a branch speared itself right through the bonnet of the car and caused the car to cut out with a clunk. Quinn and Santana just stared at each other in shock for a while before they simultaneously got out of the car and went to inspect the damage.

Santana lifted the bonnet and immediately saw a huge problem. The branch had clogged a bunch of the smaller motors and she immediately knew that it meant that the car wouldn't be driving anywhere else that night. Quinn joined her at the front of the car having checked the damage to the side and asked, "How is it looking?"

"How do you feel about walking into the lovely little town of Wickenburg at below freezing temperatures?"

"It sounds like a story I will tell Rach when I get home to her."

"If this doesn't get you a session of Dr and Nurse for little people when we get to New York I don't know what will." Santana said as they started the trek through the snow.

Quinn muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, 'I hope so' before they both started to feel the cold and picked up there pace. They occasionally tried to get a signal on their phones but they were in the middle of nowhere and it was snowing so they never really had much hope.

It was an hour before they came to the first signs of civilisation which thankfully was a small but clean looking motel. They quickly made there way inside and booked a room with two single beds in from the bored looking middle aged woman behind the counter.

There room was pretty decent and in a fair imitation of her teenager self, Santana ran at the bed next to the window and jumped onto it calling, 'dibs'. Quinn shook her head at her friend's antics but was glad of them because they were lightening the slightly depressing mood. Quinn led back on her bed and gave a deep sigh.

"Hey cheer up Q. Tomorrow we will get the car fixed and will be on our way back to our families. It may suck now but it will be worth it, you just have to remember what you are doing this for."

"When did you get so optimistic?" Quinn asked sincerely,sitting up and making eye contact with the suddenly shy Latina.

"Brittany." Was her one word answer before she went to use the bathroom that joined on to their room.

Quinn led back down and watched the clock as the time clicked over to midnight and the date read the 21st December. She rubbed her hands over her face in exasperation thinking about how today was the day when the Fabray's would traditionally go out as a family to pick the Christmas tree and how Ali was starting to become like a mini Rachel demanding that her choice was the one that was chosen. Of course she had perfected the Rachel Berry pout which Quinn had no chance of refusing so she more often than not got her way. They would then all go home and after Quinn would somehow manage to get the tree off the roof of the car they would all enjoy some of Rachel's famous vegan hot chocolate. She found herself drifting off to sleep with those happy thoughts until something soft hit her face.

She opened her eyes to see Santana readjusting after throwing a pillow at her face and she said,

"I thought I should wake you up as we now have a signal and I have already phoned Britt to tell her what is going on. Thought you might want to keep your midget informed."

"Don't call her that San, we aren't in high school any more but thanks for waking me up, I didn't think."

"De nada." Santana replied lazily whilst filing her nails with a file she found in the bathroom. Quinn grabbed her phone and quickly dialled in those familiar numbers and waited to hear her soul mates voice.

"_Hello."_

"Hey Rach its me Quinn."

"_Quinnie, I am so glad you called, ever since I heard about the flights being cancelled I have been so worried."_

"I'm alright I have just been a bit busy making alternative plans to get home to you and the kids."

"_What are you going to do?"_

"Well I am driving home with Santana Lopez."

Quinn heard Rachel intake sharply and saw Santana smile at the use of her name.

"_Are you sure that is safe, I mean for all you know she could murder you and bury you in a snow bank and nobody would find you until at least the spring."_

She could hear that Rachel was hyperventilating and spoke in soothing tones to calm her.

"Please don't worry sweetheart, I trust Santana and I know if we work together we will survive this."

"_Where are you now Quinn?"_ Rachel asked nervously

"Arizona." There was a sharp intake of breathe and then the whispered response,

"_Come home to me safely baby, I love you."_

"I love you too sweetheart." She could see Santana make sick motions out of the corner of her eye but pointedly chose to ignore her as she said with determination,

"And tell the kids that Mommy will be home for Christmas."

**A/N: Please Review...**


	2. Chapter 2

If she had just remembered this one little detail then Quinn probably wouldn't have woken up grumpy the next morning. Although to say you woke up would require you to have slept which Quinn had done very little of the night before. If only she had remembered that Santana snored then she would have booked separate rooms and they both could have been happy but of course she had forgotten all those years of torture at Cheerleading camp.

She got out of bed early the next morning and was ready to leave before Santana so much as stirred from her sleep.

"Why are you ready so early Fabray, don't you like sleep?" Santana questioned groggily while squinting her eyes open.

"I love sleep but it was impossible with those demon like noises you were making all night Lopez." Quinn said roughly. Santana just grunted her response and went to turn over to fall back asleep but Quinn quickly stopped her.

"Oh no, you need to wake up so we can get the car fixed and then you owe me a coffee and a bacon sandwich for the torture you put me through last night."

"Whatever." Santana grumbled as she stumbled out of bed and wandered towards the bathroom.

Quinn was surprisingly patient as she waited for Santana and even managed to get a little sleep which meant that she was a little happier when Santana was finally ready.

"Lets get going Q, we have a lot of miles to cover and only three days until we need to be at home."

She was already walking out of the door as she talked and Quinn followed after her tiredly murmuring all the Spanish swearwords she knew under her breathe.

They were able to find a mechanic pretty easily with the help of some overly cheerful citizens. It was a small place but they said that they would be able to go out straight away and get the car and start work as long as the two women would show them where they had left it. The women agreed and were soon driving out of town in a large red tow truck belonging to little Billy who just so happened to be the large and hairy man sat next to them. Before getting in the car they had both argued over who would have to sit next to the man and after a quick game of rock, paper, scissors, it was decided that Santana would sit in the middle. (Quinn had quietly chuckled at how predictable the girl was after all these years, she always went for rock.)

They came to the off ramp in silence as Billy sang along to the radio and were both shocked to see absolutely nothing there. They would have thought that the crash had all been some horrible dream except that there was a tree branch broken off and abandoned on the side of the road and some faintly visible marks in the snow from where they had skidded.

"So where is it ladies?" Billy asked having finally stopped singing.

"I don't know." Quinn said staring at the spot where the car should be. She was trying to understand what happened when Santana angrily pummelled her fist against the dashboard.

"Some ass hole has stolen it."

It was the only explanation necessary before everything clicked for the other two people in the car.

"Well sorry ladies is there any where I can take you?"

Santana looked as if she were struggling to keep control of her temper so Quinn answered for them.

"Could you take us back into town, to the first good diner that you can think of?"

"Sure can little darling."

The best place that Billy could think of was clearly just the first place he was passing because as he waved them out of his truck it was clear that the run down little diner he had led them to was the worst diner in town. They went inside any way as they were both starving and were pleasantly surprised by the cosy atmosphere. They sat at a booth at a window and watched the ever falling snow as they waited for a waitress.

"What can I get for you girls?" A waitress that looked the spitting image of the women that worked at the motel asked them

"A coffee and a bacon sandwich." Quinn ordered then turned to look at Santana and when she noticed the preoccupied look in the woman's eyes she added, "Uh can we have that twice please."

The women nodded and waddled away and all of a sudden Santana seemed to unfreeze and turned to Quinn with an excited look on her face.

"I know how to fix this."

"Well it better be better than your last plan because that one left us deserted in Arizona."

"Look I admit that things haven't gone to plan but we have to find a way to deal with the situation we are in. I think I have a way to deal with it."

It was so unlike Santana to be this honest or admit any weakness on her part that Quinn made a carry on motion with her hand to get her to keep talking. Santana leaned forward eagerly as she suggested the next part of her plan.

"We will have to hitch hike." Santana said bluntly as the waitress came over and deposited the food on the table. Quinn couldn't help but sit with her mouth open and for the first time in her life she ignored the bacon sitting in front of her. Before she could voice her thoughts though Santana added around a mouth full of sandwich.

"I will do anything to get back to Brittany, how much does Rachel mean to you?"

Quinn didn't even have to think about the answer because she already knew it. She gave a great sigh and tucked into her sandwich knowing that she was going to need all of her strength today. Once they had both finished their food and stood up to pay Quinn felt that it was time to comment on Santana's idea.

"If we get picked up by a rapist, murderer freak then I will totally sacrifice you to him to save myself because it will be completely your fault."

"Deal." She answered as the started to walk towards the main road.

XXXXX

It only took about thirty minutes of them walking along the side of the road with their thumbs stuck out until a large truck pulled up by the side of them. They couldn't see who was inside but after only thirty minutes they were already freezing and they needed to warm up a little. They once again had a quick argument about who would sit in the middle but this time Santana cited the fact that she had sat next to Billy and now it was Quinn's turn. Out of fear that the truck would drive away if it was kept waiting any longer Quinn agreed and quickly hoisted herself up and into the truck. She nearly fell back out of the truck in surprise when she saw who the driver was.

Noah Puckerman sat behind the wheel still sporting the same Mohawk that he had in high school and with a huge grin on his face.

"Well, well what a pleasant surprise." Puck said with a genuine smile on his face. With a small shove in the back from Santana, Quinn settled herself into the middle seat and allowed Santana to climb in behind her.

"What the hell!" Santana said in shock when she spotted the man.

"I could say the same thing to you Lopez." He said back as he pulled the truck back on to the road.

"Its been too long Puck." Quinn said trying to avoid Santana causing an argument to the person who was giving them a ride.

"Yeah I have missed you guys. I never thought I would see you guys again especially not in this way though. Where are you headed?"

"As far as you can take us, where are you going?" Santana asked.

"I'm headed up towards Colorado Springs as long as the snow doesn't get any worse. Is that any good to you?"

They both checked the maps in their heads and realised that it would be perfect for them and told Puck as much.

Quinn found that she had quite missed Puck over the years they had been apart and apart from the occasional lewd comment she found that the boy had turned into quite a gentle man.

"So have you got any family, a wife, cause I know its is quite hard to have a family when you have to travel a lot." Quinn said tentatively just in case it was a sore topic for him.

"No, I have never found the 'one'." He said with a sneer and without taking his eyes off the road. Quinn did have to hand it to him that he was a very serious driver.

"So how are you spending the holidays?"

"With a microwave meal for one." He laughed then added, "No not really, I will probably hang out in the bar close to wherever I am."

"Do you spend every Christmas like that?" Quinn asked and he nodded before quickly changing the topic by asking,

"What about you two?"

"I married Rachel Berry." Quinn said shortly. There were a whole host of things that Puck could have said but what he did say made her smile and realise that the teenage boy was still in there somewhere.

"That is so hot. What about yo Lopez?"

"I married Brittany." Santana answered, still chuckling lightly from his response.

"Well that was inevitable." Santana looked taken aback for a moment but then realised that the comment was a compliment about her and her wife and she nodded.

They found that they were making good time and so when Puck complained that he was in physical pain from his hunger they decided to stop and get lunch. To say thank you to him for taking them a little bit closer to home they agreed to buy him his lunch but regretted it when he ordered three burgers at a truck stop and then turned to them and asked what they wanted to eat.

Five burgers later, all consumed by Puck, they were on the road and they noticed how the snow was getting less and less. It was still snowing but it was light and there was a little less than a foot of standing snow on the ground. The two women looked at each other and they could both tell that it wouldn't hopefully be much further until they would be able to find an airport and fly the rest of the way home.

They made it into Colorado springs just as it began to turn dark and Puck asked them where they wanted to get out.

"Where are you staying for the night?" Santana asked

"Better warn Brittany that you are coming on to me Lopez." Puck said with a leer

"Screw you Puckerman, I just wanted to know if there were any good motels around."

He thought for a moment before he pulled into a large parking lot which had only other trucks in it and cut the ignition.

"I'll take you to the place I always stay. This is where I leave the truck but the motel is only across the street. Its a clean place and does a killer breakfast in the diner attached to it."

They both agreed and walked over to the place once Puck had dropped off the keys to the truck with a bored looking man in a small office.

This time Quinn was smart enough to get a separate room from Santana so that she might be able to get a proper sleep that night. They weren't really short on money so Santana agreed with her and they said good night and arranged for all three of them to meet in the morning for breakfast.

Quinn's room was a lot bigger than the one she had shared with Santana the night before and it had a huge double bed in it which she automatically collapsed onto. Just as she was about to fall asleep she heard faint sounds of a person talking in the room next to hers. She only thought it was weird because Santana had the room next to hers. It was when she listened closer that she realised it was Santana talking on the phone to Brittany.

"...I am doing everything I can baby, I promise you."

"Have I ever lied to you?"

"That was for a good reason."

"Your right, I'm sorry."

_Santana is so whipped_ Quinn thought and chuckled to herself.

"I love you too and I will see you soon, bye baby."

She heard Santana jump down onto her own bed and after a few minutes could hear faint snores. Quinn groaned in exasperation and really hoped that the snoring wouldn't get any louder and make her lose yet another night of sleep.

XXXXX

The three old friends met for breakfast the next morning each in a particularly happy mood which was only made better by the amazing breakfast that they had.

"Didn't I tell you guys that this was killer." Puck said with his mouth full of sausage. They couldn't help but agree.

"So where are you going now Puck?" Santana asked with genuine concern for her friend.

"I'll be staying in town until after Christmas because I have a delivery to pick up from here on the 26th." They both looked saddened for the man and that was when Quinn had a brilliant idea.

"Why don't you make your way back to New York with us and we can all spend Christmas together?"

Puck whole face lit up at the prospect and though Santana tried to hide it, so did hers.

"You would have to hitch hike with us though and then pay for your own plane ticket but do you like the sound of that?" She asked.

"It would be nice to not have to spend Christmas alone." He said as he nervously scratched his Mohawk.

"That's settled then, the three of us are heading to New York." Quinn said with finality in her voice that left no room for argument.

Once they had finished there food they headed outside for the first time that day and stopped dead in their tracks. More snow had fallen over night and the snow on the ground had nearly doubled in height with the thick black clouds overhead promising more snow.

"Looks like we have further to go then we thought." Santana mumbled suddenly grumpy because of this new development.

Maybe it was because she had finally had some sleep or the fact that she had just ate a massive amount of bacon but Quinn refused to let this get them down so she stepped in front of them and said, "I know things seem bad but it is only the 22nd December and we still have plenty of time. We can do this." She said with determination as she made eye contact with both of them in turn.

Santana nodded her agreement whereas Puck put his hand face down in the middle of the mini circle they had made and said, "Come on team." Quinn and Santana reluctantly put their hands in and then raised them to Puck shouting, "To Christmas in New York." They repeated his statement then set off through the thick snow to try to find someone who would drive them further on their journey home.

XXXXX

It had been three hours and in that time it had started to snow and Puck had complained 17 times that he had lost the feeling in his toes. They knew that they had to do something soon or they may seriously be risking illness due to exposure. They had been walking as they tried to hitch hike and they soon came across a truck stop which held the promise of warmth. The girls were about to walk towards it when Puck suddenly stopped them by grabbing them by the shoulder and pulling them back.

"I have a good idea." He whispered into their ears and both girls groaned at the same time knowing that this was only going to lead to trouble.

"OK Puck spit it out, what do you think qualifies as a good idea?" Santana asked with a touch of weariness. Four years of high school listening to this boy's so called genius ideas had taught her to be hesitant when listening to any of his plans.

"Well we really need to get to New York and we can't catch a lift, I mean if I hadn't known you two I would have never stopped for you yesterday so unless we bump into someone else from high school we are screwed." He took a deep breathe then continued, "So I think we need to steal a car."

If they had been drinking something at that point then they most likely would have spat it out in shock.

"Are you crazy, we could get arrested." Quinn said and turned to Santana to support her but instead found the Latina with a thoughtful look. "You can't seriously be considering this?" Quinn asked in a stupor.

"Look Quinn if we want to get home then we are going to have to get proactive or we could just end up freezing to death on the side of a road."

"If we are careful then we won't get caught and believe me I have a lot of expertise in the area of stealing cars." Puck added.

She thought for a few moments and pictured her home and her family. It was the same image that she had been using to get through this whole thing, to keep her motivated. It was last Christmas and her and Rachel had been snuggling on the sofa in front of the fire as the kids played with the new toys that 'Santa' had brought them. It was the one of the few moments she could look back on and say she was perfectly content.

Wanting more than anything to get that happy feeling again this year she strode purposefully towards the building and Santana and Puck quickly followed her with identical grins on their faces.

Leaving Puck and his expert knowledge to choose a car and hot wire it, Quinn and Santana kept a look out. Puck had chosen a red station wagon which had seen better days but would not stand out once stolen. He was taking a very long time and when they saw a man walking towards them, jingling keys in his hand they started to panic and Santana pushed Quinn out from behind the car with a whispered order to 'stop him.'

She froze for a second before everything Rachel had told her about acting kicked in. She went running up to the man and started to fake tears as she pulled on the front of his puffy vest and sobbed.

"I don't know where he is, I lost him and he is just my whole life and I can't find him anywhere."

When she saw the concern in the man's eyes she couldn't help but feel guilty about what she was doing but she had to power through.

"What's the matter honey? Who have you lost?" He asked kindly

"My son, he went into the bathroom ten minutes ago and..." She trailed off sobbing loudly into the man's chest and he looked back towards the building anxiously.

"Why don't you just wait here and I will go into the men's and see if I can see him?"

She nodded weakly and watched and he walked back with a purpose. Quinn ran back to his car to see Puck rapidly working underneath the bonnet an Santana looking nervous.

"We only have a few moments guys until that man comes back."

"Its done." Puck said just as she finished talking and pumped the air with a huge grin on his face.

They piled into the car very aware that the man would start looking for Quinn again with the bad news that he was unable to find her son and Santana gunned it out of the parking lot. They all sat back and breathed a sigh of relief as they left the truck stop far behind them and Santana slowed a little and said, "I didn't know you could act like that Fabray, that was pretty damn impressive."

"Thanks, I learned all that from Rachel." Quinn said with a little pride about her wife seeping into her voice.

It was dark and the trio had passed the state line and crossed well into Kansas when a sudden bright, flashing light and loud screeching noise broke them out of their companionable silence and Santana pulled the car over onto the side of the road and rolled down her window.

"How can I help you officer?"

**A/N: So Puck joined the mini road trip and they just got stopped by the police after stealing a car. What will happen next? Please Review...**


	3. Chapter 3

_"How can I help you officer?"_

It was so very clear to both Quinn and Puck that it had been a long time since Santana had flirted with anyone and they both groaned as they watched her poor attempts at flirting with the Police officer. She flicked her hair and pushed her chest out as the man leaned down into the open window and asked, "Did you know that you have a brake light out?"

Quinn couldn't believe how ridiculous it was that they were in a stolen car and a busted light was what they had been pulled over for and she couldn't help but let her laughter burst out. The officer raised an eyebrow at her and Santana glared until she eventually controlled herself. Santana turned her attention back to the man and ran her fingers slowly along his arm as she answered his original question.

"This is an old car, there was no warning or anything officer...Hughes." She said his name slowly and what was clearly meant to be sensually but just came out a bit garbled.

"You are supposed to do a check every time before you get in your car so ignorance is no excuse." He was clearly not impressed by her attempts but Santana refused to give up and gave it one last shot. She reached out her hand in an attempt to tweak his hat playfully and give a coy little smile but what she actually ended up doing was poking the man in the eye with one of her long sharp nails. The man was caught so off guard that he ended up slipping on the snow underneath his feet and falling onto his ass in the snow.

All three of them got out of the car in an attempt to help the man and Puck reached out to try and lift him up when they heard the sound of a gun cocking. They all turned to see Officer Hughes partner stood next to the Police car pointing his now fully loaded gun at them. Puck was so shocked to see the gun being pointed at him that he accidentally let go of Officer Hughes who was half way of the ground and he slumped back and hit his head on a rock hidden under the snow.

"Oh sorry man." Puck tried to apologize but it was pointless as he was clearly unconscious.

"Put your hands behind your head and get down on the ground!" The other Police Officer shouted. They didn't have to be told twice and they slowly led in the snow as well feeling the cold, wet mush seeping into their clothes. The man called for back up and an ambulance and then one by one took the trio to the back of his Police car. Once they were seated he went to check on his partner and wait until an ambulance came. When the ambulance arrived they were driven to the police station and taken into the back to where the cells were kept.

The cells were all completely empty and each one had enough room for only one occupant. The three of them were put into adjoining cells and were left alone looking at each other through the bars with sheer amazement at how they had gotten into this situation.

"In what world is what you were doing classified as flirting Lopez?" Quinn asked as she paced in the middle cell.

"I still have mad skills Fabray, you don't know what you are talking about." She shot towards her right hand side as she sat down on the uncomfortable bed.

"It was pathetic and made the guy even more suspicious."

"Ladies, lets not turn on each other." Puck said trying to calm them down.

"Shut up Puckerman." The two women said at the same time before they all started to laugh. It wasn't particularly funny but they really just needed a stress relief and this was the best way. When they were able to catch their breathe again they started to realise how bad the situation was.

"What are we going to do if they realise that car is stolen?" Santana asked seriously.

"We just have to hope that they don't." Quinn answered with an equally morbid tone.

"At least we don't have to pay for a place to sleep tonight, they will hopefully keep us here until morning and then let us go." Puck added trying to lighten the tone.

They fell into silence after that and Santana started to lightly snore until the police officer that had arrested them came in and Quinn hit the bars to wake the woman up.

"So ladies and gentleman, my name is Officer Hark and I have been sent to ask you some questions. The first is why you felt that you wanted to come to Sheridan county, Kansas and attack an upstanding Police officer?"

As always, Santana took it upon herself to be the spokesperson for the group and answered, "It wasn't like that officer, I was trying to adjust his hat and he moved and slipped. We got out of the car to help him up and he hit his head." She was pleading with her eyes for the man to believe her but his next sentence squashed all of her hope.

"Well I know what I saw and that was you hitting him in the face then this young man assaulting him and the other young lady staggering around drunkenly."

Santana burst out laughing that they thought that Quinn was drunk and Quinn responded indignantly, "I wasn't drunk it was just hard to walk on the snow. Its very slippery."

"If you are not drunk right now then recite the alphabet backwards." The officer challenged.

"OK then, Z, Y...X... oh come on, who can even do that when they're sober?" Quinn questioned furiously and the officer just smirked as if he had proved his point. She raised her arms in the air in annoyance and then sat down on the plastic chair in the corner of her cell as Puck moved to the bars to talk to the man.

"So how is the guy, your partner, is he alright?" The was genuine concern in his voice so the man responded with a bit more kindness.

"He hasn't woken up yet." Just as he had said that another officer walked in and corrected him.

"He just woke up so you are going to want to be with him." Officer Hark nodded and they both quickly left the room without a second thought for the prisoners.

"Looks like we might as well get some sleep guys because I don't think we will be getting out of here tonight." Quinn said solemnly then got into her plastic bed. They could hear a clock tower in the distance as the room fell into silence and it tolled twelve times to signal that it was now the 23rd December and that they only had two days left. All three fell asleep with thoughts filled with worry.

XXXXX

Sunlight slowly filtered into the cells through the barred windows the next morning and when Quinn opened her eyes to see the shadow of the bars on the floor she groaned internally and then externally as she felt a painful crick in her back from the plastic bed. She turned to see Puck half hanging from his bed looking as comfortable and relaxed as ever and it made her want to throw something at him. Looking in the other direction she noticed that Santana was wide awake and staring at the foot of her bed from her seated position.

"Did you get any sleep?" Quinn asked not bothering to keep her voice down as she didn't care if she woke Puck up.

"A little." She answered as Puck mumbled as he woke up.

It was a little over an hour later, when the sun was out in full force that any one came to see the three prisoners. It was Officer Hark and he was pushing a small trolley with trays of food on which he put into each of their cells. It was nothing special. A cup of weak, cold tea and what may have been described as pancakes in a previous life. The little cup of amber liquid on the side of the tray they could only hope was syrup.

"Officer Hughes is awake and will be coming in later this morning to issue his statement at which point we will decide if we have enough evidence to prosecute you." Officer Hark said as he pushed a tray into Puck's cell and the man pounced on it and devoured it all within 7 seconds. The other three people in the room looked at him in disgust/amazement for a few moments before Santana asked with curiosity, "But surely your report is enough to get us charged?"

"Santana!" Quinn stage whispered as she attempted to get the woman to stop talking before they got into more trouble.

Hark just made a dismissive gesture and answered, "Hughes has said that you did nothing to hurt him but until he officially reports that, we can not let you go." He left the room quickly after that not wanting to see the smug grin that had spread across Santana's face as she was proven right.

It was midday if the sun was anything to go by when they were finally realised. They didn't know how long they had played eye spy for but it was clear to say that the word, 'bars' had been used many times.

They were released with a kind smile from Hughes as they had done nothing wrong, (that the Police knew about) and unsurprisingly they didn't see Hark.

They walked outside and breathed in the fresh air that they had missed so much after a little under 24 hours locked up and started to walk away from the police station. All of a sudden Quinn stopped as she looked at her feet and realisation hit her. Santana and Puck kept walking but turned around when they realised that she stopped and she looked up at them in excitement.

"There's no snow." She said simply but it had the desired effect. They looked at their feet and noticed the wet ground with a very few traces of snow.

"It must have rained in the night and washed away the snow." Santana tried to explain and she couldn't keep the incredulous grin off her face.

They practically ran back into the station and asked where the nearest airport was that flew American airline. There was a very helpful woman behind the desk who quickly checked for the flight they needed.

"The closest thing I can find is at 8 o'clock tonight at Kansas City Airport. Is that any good to you?"

"How far away is that?" Santana asked trying to remember any geographical facts about Kansas.

"Its about 6 hours by car." She said confidently.

The trio looked at each other and when they were in agreement Quinn said, "Could you book three tickets for us using this card as a deposit." She held out her own credit card and the woman quickly did it for them.

"Thank you." They said as they walked towards the door

"Hope you make it in time." The woman called back as they began to run down the main street.

XXXXX

They had very limited options available to them. They couldn't hitch hike knowing they didn't have time to wait for a ride and they definitely weren't going to steal another car knowing how badly that could turn out. They didn't feel like tempting fate. A short discussion later they decided to pay for a bus to drive them across the state although it would take seven hours as a bus was considerably slower than a car. It was very expensive but they decided it would be worth it even if Quinn and Santana would be shouted at by their significant others when they finally got home for spending so much money.

The bus was very crowded as it was nearly Christmas and so they had to decide who would sit on their own at the back of the bus next to a stranger. They did a contest of rock, paper, scissors and Santana blew away Quinn's foolproof plan by choosing scissors and causing Quinn to lose.

"You don't think I realised that I always chose rock Fabray. I was just waiting for the right opportunity to throw your well thought out plan on its head. Go take your seat, we are about to set off." Santana put on an official sounding voice for the last sentence to mock her and Quinn flipped her off as she went to take a seat at the back.

The last seat remaining was next to a small brunette woman who was reading a book and at first glance Quinn felt her heart stop as the woman looked exactly like Rachel. It obviously wasn't and Quinn had to keep reminding herself of that fact.

"Is anybody sitting here?" Quinn asked and the woman looked up at her with the exact same deep brown eyes that Rachel had.

"No, you can sit here, I don't mind at all." The woman said with a small smile and Quinn had to take a deep breathe to remind her that just because she was sat next to a woman who could be Rachel's twin and she was missing her wife, it didn't mean it was OK to flirt.

"I'm Rochelle." The woman introduced herself and held out her hand for Quinn to shake.

"Quinn." Quinn said shaking the offered hand and then pulling away when Rochelle refused to and they just started holding hands.

"So what's a pretty woman like you doing in a boring town like Sheridan?" Rochelle asked as she flipped her hair in a similar way as Santana had done the night before but far more successfully. Quinn couldn't help but gulp.

"Just passing through on the way home to my wife." Quinn had hoped that her answer would discourage the woman but it seemed to have the opposite impact as she gave a slow smile and ran her hand up the inside of Quinn's thigh. Quinn took a deep breathe to calm herself but it didn't help as she breathed in something that was identical to Rachel's scent and that made her miss her wife so much that she subconsciously leaned towards the smell.

"She is a very lucky woman." Rochelle whispered huskily in Quinn's ear and Quinn jumped out of her seat as the woman's hand travelled a bit too high.

Without a look back, Quinn walked to the front of the bus and kneeled down next to Santana.

"We need to swap places." Quinn whispered noticing that Puck was asleep with his head pressed against the window.

"What's wrong Q, not get along with your new bus buddy?" She said mockingly.

"I am getting along too well with her. She is like a freaking clone of Rachel and she has her hands all over me. I keep forgetting its not Rachel and she doesn't seem to care that I have a wife. Please swap with me." Quinn pleaded desperately as she glanced back to where Rochelle was sat. Quinn then caught a glimpse of the evil cheerleader Santana that was still residing in the adult Santana's body.

"I don't think so, now why don't you go back to your seat and enjoy some bus sex." She smirked and then turned back to reading a book she had found in the overhead compartment.

Not one to keep begging she squared her shoulders and went to sit back down. Rochelle had gone back to reading her book and Quinn breathed a sigh of relief hoping that it really would be that easy.

It was an hour later when Rochelle made her next move. It was very subtle and Quinn almost didn't understand what was happening at first. Rochelle had her legs crossed and the tip of her foot was gently rubbing against Quinn's lower leg in the same motion as the bus was moving. She would have said it was an accident except that she kept her foot there and after a few minutes inched her foot up higher. Quinn had been trying to sleep and was a little disorientated so she couldn't properly figure out what was happening until Rochelle had turned in her seat so her back was against the window and was gently stroking Quinn's upper thigh. She readjusted herself so that the two women were no longer touching but then Rochelle moved to say breathlessly in her ear,

"I thought I gave you enough time to change your mind."

"Look, I am going to level with you. I do not want to have sex with you and I won't ever want that. I am completely in love with my wife and we have two kids together. I am not going to do anything that would risk me losing them."

Quinn had pulled away so they were not touching at all and so she could see the thoughtful look in Rochelle's eyes and hoped the message had sunk in.

"We still have six hours yet. That is plenty of time for me to get you to change your mind."

Quinn sighed and wondered what had caused this woman to have such massive self esteem issues that she was begging strangers to screw her on a bus as she walked to the front again.

"You know you really shouldn't walk around on a moving bus Q." Santana fake scolded without looking up from her book.

Quinn had tried appealing to Santana and that wasn't going to work so she kicked Puck awake with a booted foot and said, "Hey Puck, the woman I am sat next to at the back is looking for some bus sex and I told her I knew the perfect guy who could give her what she wants."

That woke him right up and he practically ran to the back of the bus without another word and Quinn chuckled to herself as she took his seat next to Santana.

"You know he is going to hate you when he finds out that chick is gay." Santana said.

"That woman was so desperate that I doubt she would say no even if it is Puck offering."

XXXXX

Thankfully, Santana had stayed quiet enough for Quinn to sleep for the rest of the journey. Luck seemed to be smiling on her a lot that day as she was able to avoid Rochelle as she got off the bus and even though she hadn't put out for Puck the man was still pretty happy when he got off the bus. Both Quinn and Santana decided it was in their best interests not to ask.

They made it to the airport with about 15 minutes to spare and rushed on to the plane and grabbed their seats. This time they didn't even have to play each other for how would sit on their own as Puck automatically took the seat that was next to a woman travelling on her own.

"As long as I don't have to sit by her. If Rachel ever finds out what happened on that bus then I am screwed." Quinn said as she sat down and unfortunately missed the evil glint in Santana's eyes.

As the plane took off into the sky they knew they were only three hours away from New York and Quinn was able to relax for the first time in three days and let herself drift off to sleep to thoughts of being with her family for Christmas.

About an hour into the trip, Quinn was shaken awake as the plane started to shake violently. At first she didn't worry too much as she was well used to flying and was confident that it was just some turbulence. The seatbelt sign flashed and she quickly did as prompted and she could see Santana do the same. After ten minutes however the shaking had not stopped and it had actually got worse and two sets of scared eyes met each other as the Captain's voice came over the speaker system.

_We are sorry for the inconvenience folks but we are having a little mechanical trouble, nothing that will cause any problems but it does mean that we are going to have to land in Indiana International Airport and change planes. We once again apologize for any trouble caused._

They all tried to remain calm although there were a few people in the plane who started to panic but they were quickly calmed by the air stewards. It was a quick drop before they landed easily on the run way and the whole plane let out a sigh of relief as they were let out.

As they made there way out a woman on the door informed them that there would be a three hour delay before they could get on the plane again. Quinn nodded and thanked the woman then dragged Santana out before she started complaining to the woman about something that wasn't her fault.

They met up with Puck and went and found a little coffee shop in the airport where they spent the next three hours. As they were called to board their plane again Santana couldn't help but mutter, "Thank goodness, it was getting seriously boring all this waiting around."

"At least it was better than the time we spent in jail." Puck said a little too loudly and caught the attention of a few nearby people who gave the trio dirty looks and Santana promptly retaliated by flipping them off.

It was midnight when the plane took off for the second time and once they had risen above the cloud barrier she couldn't help but look at the stars and hope that they made it home today, made it home in time for Christmas.

XXXXX

It was 2 o'clock in the morning on the 24th December when Quinn, Santana and Puck finally stepped foot in New York. They all felt such relief that they couldn't help but grin widely at each other.

Quinn decided to forgo calling Rachel for the benefit of seeing her surprised face when she got home. That did leave them with another dilemma however as it turned out that Quinn and Santana lived within five minutes of each other but both of their houses were over an hour away from the airport. They tried to get a taxi but that soon proved to be a ridiculous idea as there was no taxi's around so early in the morning. Either that or they were all taking home the other people that had been on the flight with them.

No matter which circumstance however they decided to stay in a hotel and then go home first thing in the morning. They checked into the hotel across the street from the airport and at Puck's insistence they all shared a room. His reasoning was that this was their last night all together on the road trip and they should enjoy it together. For whatever reason they agreed and soon found that they wanted to kill Puck when Quinn and Santana had to share a bed and Puck had to sleep on the floor.

They had done a lot of awkward things on the road trip that they would make sure that they would never mention ever again but this was by far the one thing that they would take to their grave. It wasn't so much the fact that they had to share a bed because they had done that many times when they were teenagers however that was usually with Brittany in the middle of them. What they would keep a secret was the position in which they woke up.

Santana had her head on Quinn's shoulder and her arm and leg wrapped across her body tightly. Quinn had buried her head in Santana's hair and her thigh had slipped up and between Santana's when they woke up the next morning. It was lucky that they both woke up at the same time or one of them might have ended up being pushed out of the bed. As it was they both realised there intimate position, screamed and jumped out of the bed.

That would have been the end of the unfortunate episode had it not been that Quinn had forgotten that Puck was sleeping on the floor and when she was backing away from the bed she tripped over him and went flying through the air. As she fell she caught on to a shelf which unluckily was not securely fastened to the wall and flicked up into the air when Quinn leaned against it. It was also very unlucky that there was an alarm clock on the shelf which spun through the air with the force of Quinn's body, broke off from its wire and hit Santana in the eye.

It was with a huge black eye that Santana hailed a cab for them when they left the hotel and Quinn was still getting the silent treatment despite her attempts to prove they were equally at fault for having cuddled with each other in the night.

An hour later they found themselves outside of Quinn's house in the suburbs and despite Santana's insistence that she wanted to go home, Puck demanded that they all go in to say hi to Rachel. They paid the cab driver and he drove off as Quinn promised that she would take Santana home afterwards. Santana grumbled but agreed.

"You even got the white picket fence Q." Santana said in what was clearly meant to be a mocking voice but lacked any bitterness in her voice.

The excitement was overpowering for Quinn as she walked up to her front door and knocked on it. Almost as soon as Rachel opened the door, Quinn swept her into a huge hug and a powerful kiss. As they started to get a bit too into the kiss, Santana coughed to interrupt them and Puck smacked her on the arm and said, "What did you do that for? It was just getting good."

"Pervert." Was Santana's reply but Quinn and Rachel were too wrapped up in each other to notice. Still holding Quinn close to her but managing to look into the hazel eyes she loved so much she asked, "You couldn't have given me a call to tall me you were nearly home?" She tried to scold but it was a little weak as they were both so happy to see each other.

Quinn kissed Rachel lightly on the temple as she said, "I'm sorry sweetheart, I just wanted to see the surprise on your beautiful face when you opened the door."

"Oh alright then." Rachel gave in with another kiss.

"As much I am enjoying you showing the hobbit some lovin' Q I really want to get some lovin' on with my own wife so if we could get going." Santana asked looking at her watch and starting to turn away before she was interrupted.

"Well then you better get inside Santana." Rachel said with a knowing smile.

Not really one to follow orders she slowly trudged inside but quickly found herself running as she saw her blonde girl sat on the sofa with her blonde baby boy sat on her lap. Needless to say there was some Lopez family group hugging and then some kissing that the adults did not want to see but that seemed to make Andre, the couples' 3 year old son pretty happy.

Quinn looked at Rachel for an explanation.

"Puck stole your phone and called me last night so that we could all spend the holidays together at our house. It big enough for everyone including Puck."

"You are incredible." Quinn said kissing Rachel again as their kids came running out of the kitchen and started a Fabray family group hug.

"I missed you guys so much." Quinn said kneeling down and giving her two kids individual hugs.

"We missed you too mommy, mama has been a total grinch." Ali whispered in Quinn's ear and she smiled at the younger blonde and nodded her head in understanding before picking up her little brunette son and kissing him on the cheek.

"So what is the plan for today then?" Puck asked as he came and wrapped his arms around Quinn and Santana who promptly shrugged him off though Santana added an elbow to the stomach for good measure.

Rachel and Brittany looked at each other then at the same time said, "Christmas shopping."

The travelling trio simultaneously groaned.

XXXXX

Five hours later they found themselves sat in the food court at the local mall surrounded with bags and eating a variety of different and not very festive foods.

"So do you have any entertaining stories from your cross country travels?" Brittany asked the trio in general.

"No it was all quite boring baby." Santana answered paying particular attention to her burger.

Both Rachel and Brittany could sense something suspicious and so decided to probe further.

"So how did you meet up with Noah Quinn?" Rachel asked sweetly, knowing that Quinn was a terrible liar.

"We met him when we were hitch hiking, he picked us up from the side of the road." She answered sheepishly.

"Lucy Quinn Fabray, do you not know dangerous that is?"

"And you went along with it Santana, you promised me you would try to stay safe." Brittany added on the end. At this Santana shot Quinn a glare which said if I am going down then so are you.

"Its bad I will admit but not as bad as the fact that Quinn let some slut feel her up on the back of a bus." Santana said and Quinn spat out the drink in her mouth as Rachel turned incredulous eyes on her.

"Quinn?" Rachel questioned with some hurt in her eyes.

"Rach its not as bad as she makes it sound. The woman tried to feel me up but I jumped up and got Puck to switch seats with me. Nothing happened I swear." Rachel nodded her head and held onto Quinn's hand a little tighter as she pulled her forward and whispered in her ear,

"Doesn't matter what that slut tried to do because I will show you who you belong to tonight." Then Rachel nipped lightly at her ear and sat back leaving a flustered looking Quinn.

"Keep it together Fabray." Santana laughed at her and Puck took it upon himself to equal the playing field for the women again.

"At least Quinn didn't get arrested for punching a cop in the face."

The mirth instantly left Santana as she saw Brittany's pouting face and she reached forward a soothing hand which Brittany moved away from.

"Why would you do that Santana?" She questioned and Quinn couldn't help but laugh at her friend's discomfit.

"I didn't punch him I accidentally poked him and he slipped on some snow and got knocked out."

It sounded ridiculous even to her own ears and so she couldn't blame Rachel for asking, "How do you accidentally poke someone?" Santana started to blush and so Quinn stepped in with the answer.

"She was trying to flirt with him so we wouldn't get arrested but she failed miserably."

"At least I was arrested for something decent, you were arrested for being drunk."

"Yeah but I wasn't drunk you actually did assault that officer."

"I poked him."

Puck could see that they were all becoming exasperated by the arguing women and Rachel shot him a look as if to ask if he knew any way to shut them up. That was when he had yet another brilliant idea.

"Why were you trying to get away from the bed so fast this morning that San ended up with a black eye Q?" Puck asked innocently although he already knew the answer, he just wanted to help out Rachel and Brittany. It stopped their argument automatically and there eyes widened.

"I wasn't trying to get away from the bed, I just didn't see you in the dark and tripped over." Quinn looked proud of herself for coming up with the lie on the spot but Puck quickly tore it down.

"It was light when we woke up this morning."

Neither woman wanted to answer and so Rachel asked, "What did happen Noah?"

"Well I did so happen to see them cuddling in their bed last night in a rather intimate position which may have had something to do with it." The three laughed at Quinn and Santana's embarrassment as the two women scowled at Puck.

XXXXX

Christmas dinner was probably Quinn's favourite meal of the whole year, especially the way that Rachel made it. Puck and Quinn had moved two tables together in the dining room so that the tables made a big square and there was enough room for all of them. As Quinn sat next to Rachel and looked at her children and her friends all intermingling she couldn't help but feel like she was the luckiest person in the world and she was incredibly grateful that all three of them had made it home for Christmas.

**A/N: Thanks for reading, please let me know what you thought of it and Merry Christmas...**


End file.
